February 24, 2022

[Martin Antonenko]

The first day...


In an night televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin announces to his people and the world on February 24, 2022 his decision to launch a "military special operation" in Ukraine, which is a de facto declaration of war. ..:



According to Putin, he was reacting to the request for military assistance broadcast by the leaders of the self-proclaimed "people's republics" Donetsk and Luhansk (recognized only by the Russian Federation and Belarus) the day before.

There, the self-proclaimed leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk "People's Republic", "General" Leonid Passechnik...



... had turned to Putin almost begging and said: "Mr. President, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, please help us!"

A little later, the self-proclaimed Donetsk separatist leader Denis Puschilin...



... expressed a similar request - and added that "Ukrainian Nazis" would carry out a "genocide" on the peaceful population in the two "People's Republics".

Putin also formulates the goals of his “special operation”:

The aim is to "demilitarize" Ukraine, "denazify" it, prevent a "genocide" and disempower the "drug-addicted neo-Nazis" who rule the country. Putin calls on the Ukrainian military to lay down their arms and threatens anyone who interferes with the Russian operation with consequences "unprecedented in their history."

The fact that the Russian ruler seems to be clinging to the table with his right hand throughout his televised speech...



... will in the following days lead to the most adventurous speculations among Western "experts" about all sorts of diseases from which Putin is allegedly suffering.

Immediately after the Russian president's statement about the "special operation", the Russian military attacked Ukraine in a lightning attack from the north (from Belarusian territory), east and south (from Ukraine's Crimea, which had been illegally annexed since 2914). Russian forces are invading five Ukrainian regions with tanks and other military vehicles, reports the Ukrainian border guard.







In addition, in 12 other regions, including the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, military as well as civilian targets such. B. Airports, clinics and residential buildings, hit by Russian medium-range missiles.





However, the first shots were fired elsewhere – in the Black Sea off the coast of Ukraine.

In front of the tiny Ukrainian snake island...





... the guided missile cruiser "Moskva" appears, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the destroyer "Vasily Bykov"...:



"Moskva" sends an open radio message to the Unkrainian garrison on the island: “This is a Russian warship speaking. I suggest you surrender your arms and surrender. Otherwise I will open fire.”

The 13 Ukrainian soldiers on the island, who only have assault rifles (AK'74), radio back:

"Russkiy voyennyy korabl' , idi nahuj!" ("Russian warship fuck you!")
(The radio message will become famous later).

The two Russian warships immediately open fire, wiping out the Ukrainian garrison. However, Russian publications do not mention 13, but “82” Ukrainian soldiers.



Almost simultaneously, other Russian warships are shelling the bases of the puny Ukrainian navy (a few patrol and coast guard boats) near Odessa.








**continued next post**

 

[Martin Antonenko]

Part II


In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, residents are woken up by air raid sirens at around 5 a.m., as is the case everywhere in the country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rushes to his offices in the "Marienpalace"...



... and declares martial law over television and radio. Ukrainian men who are subject to military service are no longer allowed to leave the country.

The hurriedly convened Ukrainian parliament declares a state of emergency across the country, initially for 30 days. In addition, Parliament will release approximately $800 million in additional funds for arms and defense.

A little later Zelenskyy is hastily evacuated from the palace!

It later became known that a detachment of the Russian private army "Group Wagner" ...



...already preparing in Kyiv to kill or capture the Ukrainian President. However, according to the plan, the dozen-strong "Wagner" mercenaries have to wait for the arrival of "Spetsnats" commandos of the Russian WDW (airborne troops)...



...which is supposed to clear a safe corridor for you for this action - but the WDW commands don't appear!

For this, the "Wagners" are discovered in Kyiv and killed by Ukrainian security forces in a wild shootout...:



The shots can be heard clearly in the "Marienpalast" - hence the evacuation of the President.

(When this failed Russian action became known the next day, the Americans would offer to fly out President Zelenskyj and his family. Zelenskyj will reply with the now also famous sentence: "I don't need a ride, I need ammunition!")

From now on Zelenskyj will no longer appear in a suit, but only in military clothes.

Later that day, from a safe place, Zelenskyj addressed the population of the neighboring country in Russian:



Ukraine wants nothing more than peace with Russia, but will defend itself militarily if Russia continues the invasion, Zelenskyy said: "Do the Russians want war? The answer depends solely on you, citizens of the Russian Federation."

At the same time as Russia's military invasion, massive cyber attacks are taking place against Ukrainian banks and government websites, reports Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

The military advance of the Russians met with some fierce resistance even on this first day of the war, but this was still sporadic and not coordinated.

On the evening of February 24, the troops advancing on Belarus are in front of Kyiv; while these troops set up a large base camp in the heavily contaminated region around the nuclear power plant ruins of Chernobyl - their own soldiers learn nothing of the deadly dangers of the strong radioactivity to which they are exposed...:



The Russian columns advancing from the Crimea are also very common. On this first day you already reach the Dnieper - and are in front of the cities of Zaporizhia and Cherson...:



From the Dnieper to Odessa it is only 120 kilometers on the highway.







There is already heavy fighting in the suburbs of Kyiv, in the north near Chernihiv, in the east near Kharkiv and in the south near Mykolayiv, as well as in dozens of smaller towns and villages.

On this day, the Russians encounter greater difficulties only in the east of Ukraine!

This is where the so-called "line of contact" runs between free Ukraine and the self-proclaimed "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk, where there has been a practically permanent state of war since 2014.

There are developed Ukrainian positions there – there are the best and most experienced Ukrainian units.
Here the Russians can scarcely gain ground; the advance on the city of Mariupol on the Black Sea, which was actually supposed to take place on this first day, is halting...:









The western community of states condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia's attack on Ukraine. In a statement, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU would hold Russia accountable for its actions, support Ukraine and take in all refugees from Ukraine. US President Joe Biden condemned the attack as "unprovoked and unjustified". The USA would react together with its allies with "tough sanctions". German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the act a blatant breach of international law and called on Russia to stop the war immediately.

NATO calls a special meeting in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. After the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the strengthening of NATO forces to protect the alliance partners in the East. At the request of the military leadership, the defense plans were activated. Stoltenberg describes Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a "brutal act of war." Russia has destroyed the peace on the European continent.

In truth, almost everyone expects a quick Ukrainian defeat!
Also for the military experts from almost every country, the matter is clear!

The retired German ex-brigadier general Erich Vad said on a TV talk show that evening: "Militarily, things went well!" The Russians were vastly superior to the Ukrainians, would soon take Kyiv - and as far as the duration of the war is concerned: " It's only for a couple of days."



What they all don't count on is the fighting spirit of the Ukrainians...

On this first day, 137 Ukrainian citizens die as a result of the war and 316 other people are injured, some of them seriously.

 

[Nap]

A day none want to celebrate

May it end soon

Nap